JCSTS President
Rev. Paul Roberts, Sr.
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The Reverend Paul Timothy Roberts Sr., is President of Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary in Atlanta, GA, a position he has held since the spring of 2010. Under Paul’s leadership, JCSTS has redefined itself—and is helping redefine theological education through the lenses of social justice and humanitarianism.
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With more than 30 years of ministry experience, Paul now is gaining recognition as a Christian mystic. He is in demand nationally as a speaker and educator. His writings and work have been featured in numerous publications including the Presbyterian Outlook Magazine, Journal for Preachers, Feasting on the Word (Westminster John Knox Press), Pastoral Theology from a Global Perspective (Orbis Books), and his alma mater’s publication, the Princeton University Alumni Weekly.
Paul has served on numerous fiduciary and advisory boards including the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention, the Mountain Retreat Association of North Carolina, the Presbyterian Foundation, the Ministry Collaborative, and the Ezra Youth Seminary. He is a corresponding member of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
A native of Stamford, CT, Paul grew up in Bradenton, FL, which he considers his home. He graduated from Princeton University in 1985 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Architecture and African American Studies. Prior to his ministry career, Paul worked in the business sector in New York City for eight years.
The Princeton Reparations Conversation
The conversations seek to answer a variety of questions to understand the link between reparations work and faith, as well as discussing strategies to push the movement forward.
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In 1996, Paul earned the Master of Divinity degree with a concentration in New Testament Studies from the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, GA. He is an Academic Fellow of the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey in Celigny, Switzerland. From 1997 through 2010, he was the pastor of Church of the Master (PCUSA), a church founded in 1965 in Atlanta, GA, as an intentionally interracial congregation. In 2015, he was the interim preacher of First Presbyterian Church of Asheville, NC.
Paul has been a committed Bikram Yoga practitioner for nearly ten years and says the practice brought healing to his body and peace to his mind. In his spare time, he enjoys gardening, hiking, and classic tv. Paul and his wife, Nina, have one adult daughter and two adult sons.